Cot fastener for ambulances



May 17, 1932. H. VAN DEEST 13858 53 COT FASTENER FOR AMBULANCES Filed March 23, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 May 17, 1932. H VAN DEEST 1,858,530

cow FASTENER FOR AMBULANCES Filed March 23. 19s; 2 Sheets-Shet 2 27 .930 :4 E AQ w KM XIIIIIIIIIIIH/ I I I I I v I I if I I I I I l l I l l I I Patented May 17, 1932 I y UNITED STATESPATENT easier? HENRY VAN DEEST, OF FREE-PORT, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR 'IO HENNEY MOTOR. COMPANY,

OF FREEPORT, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE cor FASTENER FOR AMBULANCES Application filed March 23, 1931. Serial No. 524,486.

This invention relates to cot fasteners for at will. Two fasteners are provided, a front use in ambulances .and other vehicles. fastener'16 and a rear fastener 17 arranged Cot fasteners have been available in varito cooperate with the legs 12 and 13, respec- V ous forms but have been subject to one or tively, to fasten the cot to the side wall 9.

more serious objections. In some cases the It is evident in Figs. 1 and 2 that the front 55 fasteners were apt to allow movement of the fastener 16 comprises a cast body 18 suitably cot, especially if the vehicle were to suddenly secured by its base portion, as at 19, to the side slow down or make a sharp turn, and with wall and formed to provide a rearwardly faccertain constructions such movement was apt ing hook 20 for reception therein of the front to cause unfastening of the cot. Then, too, leg 12 of the cot. The body 18 is suitably so there has been the objection with most cot formed with an inclined guide surface 21 exfasteners that the fastening and unfastening tending forwardly and outwardly with re of the cot is not as handy as desired and spect to the wall 9, toward the recess in the takes up too much time. It is, therefore, the hook 20, whereby to guide the front leg 12 principal object of my invention to provide into the hook as the cot is moved into posicot fasteners which notonly positively lock tion for fastening. When the leg 12 is enthe cot in position but are so arranged and gaged in the hook 20, forward movement as constructed that the fastening and unfastenwell as lateral movement of the cot is pre- M ing of the cot can be attended to easily from vented. 1 1

'20 a remote point, as for example, from the rear The rear fastener 17 comprises a housing door of an ambulance. V r 22 fastened by its base portion, as at 23, to

The invention is illustrated in the accomthe side wall 9 of the ambulance. A forpanying drawings, wherein wardly facing hook 24 has an elongated Figure 1 is a plan view showing cot fastenshank portion 25 formed integral therewith 25 ersmade in accordanc e with my invention in on which a lug 26 is provided projecting into a typical ambulance installation, i the housing 22 for slidably mounting the Fig. 2 is a side view; hook 24 on the housing. A rod 27 passes Fig. 3 is a horizontal sectional detail of through a hole 28 in the lug 26 and'is slid the rear fastener on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2 ably received inregistering holes 29 and 30 '30 on an enlarged scale; provided in the opposite end walls of the Fig. 4 isa cross-section on the line 44 of housing 22. The lug 26 is fastened rigidly Fig. 3, and Y to therod 27, as at 31, and a coiled compres- Figs. 5 and 6 are two viewsof the handle sion spring 32 fits about the rod 27 in the end of the rear fastener. housing 22 and has abutment at one end with 35 The same reference numerals are applied to the end wall of the housing 22 and at its other corresponding parts throughout the views. end with the lug 26, whereby normally to The numerals 9 and 10 indicate the side urge the hook 24 forwardly for locking enwall and floor, respectively, of the ambulance gagement-with the rear leg 13 of the cot. or other vehicle in which the cot shown at 11 Felt, leather, or any other suitable cushionis to be fastened in place. The cot may be ing material may be provided on the inside of any suitable or preferred construction, of the hooks 20 and 24, as appears at 33 in that shown being of the conventional form Fig. 3. While the spring 32 serves normally providing front and rear legs 12 and 13, re- 'to urge the hook 24 into engagement with spectively, by means of which the same may the rear leg 13 whereby to hold the cot be- 45 be conveniently fastenedto the side wall 9. tween the hooks 20 and 24, I have provided As usual, wheels 14 are provided on the cot manually operable means for quickly releasto permit it to be rolled into and out of posiably securing the hook 24 in a retractedopen tion on the floor 10 in the ambulance. The position against the action of the spring 32 wheels are preferably mounted as at 15 so as to permit the leg 13 to be moved into or out i 50 to caster and thus permit sidewise movement of position in the fastening and unfastening length to reach clear beyond the foot end of the cot for connection with ahandle 35 that cooperates with a bracket 36 fastened with i the other end of the plate 34:. to the side wall 9, as at 37. The bracket provides a guide 38 at one end thereof for the end of. the rod 27, and another guide 39 at the other end thereof for a rearwardly projecting. cylindrical shank portion 40 on the handle 35. The end of the rod 27 is suitably threaded in the handle 35 as at 41, to allow for adjustment of the rod with respect to the handle, or vice versa. A lug 42v projects laterally from the bracket 36 below the shank 10-and is so located that the handle 35 is arranged to be swung downwardly in front of the same when the hook 24 is inclosed position, whereby to positively lock the hookin that position, and, on the other hand, is arranged. to be swung downwardly behind the same when the handle has been moved to the rear to the dotted line position shown in. Fig. 5, whereby to positively lock the hook 24: inopen position. The lug 42, therefore, serves a double purpose.

In operation, when the cot is rolled into position inthe ambulance for fastening, the front leg 12 is brought intoengagement with the hook 20 of the front fastener 16, which prevents further forward movement of the cot, whereupon the rear end of the cot is moved sidewise to bring the rear leg'l-3 into abutment with the side of the shank 25- of the hook 24.. Then, the handle 35 isswung upwardlyto clear thelug 42, whereupon the spring 32 snaps the hook 2% into engagement with the le 13 from behind the same. This it will be understood more or less-firmly fastens the cot in place,.bu-t to make-certain that the cot cannot become unfas-t'ened' accidentally, the handle 35 is arranged tobe swung downwardly in front of the lug 4&2 to positively lock the hook 24- in closed position. It is, therefore, obvious that no matter how suddenly the ambulance slows down or starts up, and no matter how sharply corners are turned, there is no way for the cot to work loose,and that is, because there is no possi bility of its having any movement whatsoever. Even slight movement is objectionable because of the jostling back and forth and the noise that goes'with it, all of which would be moreor less distressing to the person on the cot. In most other cot fasteners with which I am familiar, there is no possibility of fastening the cot so rigidly as herein disclosed, and certain cot fasteners are so constructed that extreme movement of the cot, especially if attended with side sway of the ambulance, is quite apt to cause the cot to become unfastened'. hen the ambulance arrives at its destination, the attendant simply swings the v.handle35 upwardly to clear the lug 4:2 and then pulls back on the handle and swings it down behind the lug to move the hook 24: to retracted open position against the action of the spring. 32. The hook is thereby locked in open position, and the attendant removes the cot by simplymoving the rear end sidewise to clear the hook 24", whereupon the cot can b'e'roll-ed away from the hook 20 and out of the ambulance. 'It is believed to be clear from the description how quickly and easily the'matter of fastening and: unfastening can be attended to..

I claim:

1.. In fastening means for a cot or the; like comprising a pair of spaced bases; suitably supported: adjacent the front and rear portions of a cot to be. fastened, a hook projecting rigidly from the one base and facing in one direction to hold one portionof the cot,

a companion hook projecting from the: other base and, facing in the opposite direction'to hold the other portion of'the cot, and means for slidably mounting the last mentioned hook on itsbase for movement toward. and away from the first hook, spring on said base normally urging the slidable hook tomove relative to the base in one direction to hold the cot portion thereon; a rod fixed to said hook and extending from: the baseto an operating point, ahandle onsaid rod at the operating point, and stop means. for abutment with. the handle to hold the same in either one of two positions, the handlein one position being held by the stop means to prevent movement of the hook by the cot against theaction of the spring means, and thehandle being held. by the stop means in its other positionto hold the hook in retracted position and against movement under action of, the spring means.

2. In fastening means for a cot or the like comprising a pair of spaced bases suitably supported adjacent the front and; rear portions of a cot to be fastened, a hook projecting rigidly from the one base and facing in one-direction to hold one portion of the cot, a companion hook projecting from the other base and facing in the opposite direction to hold the other portion of the cot, and means for 'slidably mounting the last mentioned hook'on its base for movement toward and away from the first hook, spring means on said base normally urging the slidable hook to move relative to the base in one direction, a rod fixed to said hook and extending from the base to an operating point, a handle on said rod at the operating point, and stop means for abutment with the handle, to hold the same in either one of two positions, in one ing rigidly from the one base and facing in one direction to hold one portion of the cot, a companion hook projecting from the other base and facing in the opposite direction to hold the other portion of the cot, and means for slidably mounting the last mentioned hook on its base for movement toward and away from the first hook, a rod fixed to said hook and extending from the base to an operating point, a handle on said rod at the operating point, and stop means for abutment with the handle to hold the same in either one of two positions, the handle in one position being held by the stop means to prevent movement of the hook by the cot from cot holding position, and the handle being held by the stop means in its other position to hold the hook in retracted position.

In witness of the foregoing I aflix my signature.

HENRY VAN DEEST.

GERTIFEQATE OF CORRECTION.

Patent No. 1,858,530. May 17, 1932.

HENRY VAN DEEST.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 3, lines 1 and 2, claim 2, strike out the words and comma "to hold the same in either one of two v positions," and insert instead the handle; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 12th day of July, A. D. 1932.

M. J. Moore, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

